"Yes, Gringotts offers several methods to protect your gold. There are bottomless bags that look smaller on the outside than they are on the inside. They are standardly included in the contracts for opening a vault at Gringotts. Then there is a wallet for high profile customers. You only have to state the amount and the currency you wish to have and the wallet will supply you with it. It comes at fifteen galleons a year." Griphook said.
"Do you have something like a credit card? It is a means of payment in the muggle world which will transfer the amount you have to pay directly from your account to the account of the shop you bought something." Harry explained after interpreting the look on Professor McGonagall's and Griphook's faces.
"No, we don't, but it sounds interesting. Would you be willing to explain the principle to Corpnik when you have your appointment with him? If it is a common form of payment in the muggle world, there could be a chance to make more profit for Gringotts if we offered it to muggleborns." Griphook said.
"I will do so. I can talk about a share of profits with him if the idea is profitable then as well." Harry answered.
Griphook nodded. A wizard who knew how to see profit. Very interesting. He would inform Corpnik before the appointment.
"For now I will go with the bottomless bag. I will talk with Corpnik about other methods when I have my appointment." Harry said and took one of the bags Griphook pointed out hanging on the side wall of the vault.
"Professor, how much will I need to get a basic kit to get a good overview of the magical world?" Harry asked.
"You should take out about fifteen galleons if you only want to buy the books. For anything more, like school uniforms and a wand and so on, you would need about thirty five galleons if you keep to the bare basics that are on the list you got with your acceptance letter. If you want to have some spending money and get some more things you might like I would recommend fifty galleons. Ten of them you should take in sickles and knuts." Professor McGonagall advised.
Harry nodded and scooped up some coins into the bag. He kept it to twenty five galleons. He would get the information he wanted and then decide. For now he was inclined to accept the offer to learn magic at Hogwarts.
"How will the matter of school tuition be settled?" Harry asked, remembering how much a good school normally cost.
"The school tuition will be paid from the Potter family vault for you. It is about seven hundred fifty galleons a year."
Harry nodded, calculating the equivalent in pounds. It was about the same amount the better private schools cost. Harry left the vault and Griphook closed it. They took back the cart and Griphook led them to the counter to arrange the appointment for Harry with his account manager.
"Very well, Mr Potter, Corpnik will await you on the thirty first at ten in the morning." Harry was informed.
"Thank you." He answered. "Good bye."
.....
He and Professor McGonagall left the bank and returned to the alley. Professor McGonagall wondered how Harry had turned out like he was. He was nothing like either James or Lily. He looked a lot like his father with his mother's eyes, but his personality was completely different. So calculating. It wasn't right in her opinion that a nearly eleven year old boy was like this.
Harry's stomach grumbled.
"Oh, I forgot I didn't eat lunch yet because Petunia was in a bad mood." Harry said embarrassed.
He had planned on eating something once she would be at one of her gossip friends for tea at three.
"Wait, you don't get to eat regularly if your relatives are in a bad mood?" Professor McGonagall asked scandalized.
"I did tell you I don't get along with them and would rather move out there today if it was possible." Harry said. "Withholding meals is harmless for them and I can get around that pretty well by now. I only need to wait until Petunia is out for tea or I just eat raw vegetables from my patch in the garden. During the school year it wasn't much of a problem as my primary school had a canteen where we were given lunch. And they didn't dare to not pack me something for breakfast as that would have got the teachers to suspect something being wrong with them. They're obsessed with being normal."
"That was harmless? What in the world did they do to you that you can think that that would be harmless?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Harry contemplated telling her. Until now none of the adults had been able to do anything against the Dursleys, but perhaps magicals could. After all, the Dursleys feared magic and if he did this right, perhaps he could even get away from there.
"Can we not talk about this here in the open?" Harry asked showing resign.
"Of course, let's go to get a little snack. I can also tell you the story you wanted to hear and some things you need to be aware of then." She offered.